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Wednesday, January 28, 2015

A RETURN TO CRAFTS

In October 2013 I spent a month back in my home Province of Nova Scotia. I wanted to acquaint my husband with the province and the locations where I'd grown up. I also did research for my Caleb Cove Mystery Series which has its fictional location on the South Shore near the LaHave Islands.

The numbers of crafters and craft shops surprised me. Nova Scotians have
always been "crafty" from painting to quilts, jewelery to pottery and more recently, micro-distilleries. Although you can find many shops just by driving the off-highway roads, there are some you don't want to miss.

Today I'm highlighting two craft based businesses. One is older, having been around for 40 years. The other is newer (5 years) and indicates the progressive nature of entrepreneurs in Nova Scotia.

Enjoy an online tour of these outlets and when you make your trip to Nova Scotia be sure to look them up. Be sure to check back next week when I highlight some smaller entrepreneurial Nova Scotia businesses.

"Forty years ago Vicki Lynn Bardon, a Nova Scotia designer, returned home
from New York after studying design and working for American Home
magazine. She and her husband Gary helped initiate the international
revival of quilt making by founding Suttles & Seawinds to provide
employment for rural woman. Initially the products were quilts and
related home decor items such as placemats, runners, pillows, etc., but
gradually a line of clothing was created using techniques such as
piecing, appliqué and quilting. Many articles appeared nationally and in
the international press as Suttles & Seawinds quilts and clothing
were promoted in art galleries and seen in prestigious stores such as
Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdales, and many fine stores across Canada."

Do you know the meaning of the word Suttles? You can find out on the Suttles and Seawinds website.

This first micro-brewery in Nova Scotia was founded in 2009 by Pierre Guvermont and Lynne MacKay. Read about their quest for a simplier life and the success they found by the sea in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Lunenburg.Here's an excerpt from their website that explains the history of the building now housing their brewery.

"We walked intoThe Blacksmith’s Shop in Lunenburg and immediately knew we’d found our
spot. In this workshop at the corner of Montague and Kempt streets, a
marine blacksmith by the name of Thomas Walters produced ironworks for
shipbuilders all along the South Shore. Sweating in the heat from two
coal-fired forges, Walters and his apprentices crafted anchors and
chains, fairleads and ferrules, clevises and gaffs, windlasses and
fiddleys – anything remotely nautical that could be maneuvered onto an
anvil and hammered into shape. The blacksmith’s shop produced hardware
for both Bluenose schooners as well as a Hollywood version of HMS Bounty
(the one that boasted Brando as chief mutineer). Best of all, it
provided an apt and (we hope) memorable name for our new venture."

One of the central sources for finding craft outlets in Nova Scotia, this facility is located in the waterfront properties in Halifax Harbour. Founded in 1991, it promotes crafts and crafters in all areas around Nova Scotia.

Weaving Studio

You can find and order a complete guide to crafts in Nova Scotia at this link. The Guide

This is similar to the loom my grandmother brought from Scotland and used to make wool blankets. I am lucky to still have one of her hand woven covers.

Do you have a favorite craft? Or do you remember your parents or grandparents having an "old fashioned" craft?

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Two great places to explore and shop

Fisherman's Cove, Eastern Passage, NS

Located back of Dartmouth, NS in Eastern Passage this is a great place to spend an afternoon. When I was back home in October 2013, I made three visits.A
movie crew was filming a sequel to The Beethoven Movies in the
Boondocks Restaurant and we sat and watched, getting a great view of the
wonderful dog-actors (and the humans.) (Yes, that dot is the Saint
Bernard walking on the mudflats.)

The
site, founded in 1996, hosts gift shops, museums and art galleries as
well as several places to enjoy a meal. The boardwalk also wiinds through the marshes is a great place to get your daily
exercise. If you prefer, you can buy an ice cream cone and sit in the sun, watching the world go by.

Another must see location for shopping, ice cream and great seafood is the Halifax Waterfront. Walk the boardwalk, visit the Mariners Museum and make your way to Pier 21, the intake for so many immigrants in the early 1900's. Check in the research room to see if your ancestors arrived through the Halifax Port. We got a great picture of the Empress of Scotland that brought my husband's father to Canada.

Lower Deck, Middle Deck and Upper Deck Restaurants

The Halifax Waterfront Boardwalk is a public footpath located on the Halifax Harbour waterfront in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Constructed of durable heavy timber, the Halifax boardwalk is open to the public 24 hours a day.

In Katy Binks Came Home From Away,
Sam and Kelsey run through here when they get a distress call from
Henry the Bar Keep. Later they take an incognito stroll along the
Waterfront Boardwalk to catch one of the many tour buses parked in front of Pier 21.

Have you been to Halifax? Are you from there? What's your favorite place to visit on a sunny, summer day?

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Crescent Beach and Georges Island - Almost like Caleb's Cove

Devon turned onto the beach road leading to the
island and Caleb’s Cove. Rain sheeted on the windshield, defeating the wipers
and distorting her view. Hunched forward, she followed the spit, acutely aware
of the white capped waves assaulting the fence between sand and road. Torrents
dissected the road and blurred sky, ocean and land into one mass. (Sheldon Harris Came Home Dead)

The
third and perhaps most critical inspiration for Caleb's Cove and the
island it sits on, is Georges Island and the road access to it, Crescent
Beach. Located in Lunenburg County, .the LaHave Islands stagger out
from the mainland, forested jewels in the Atlantic Ocean. Although
details are altered for the fictional world, Devon drives along this
beach road as the hurricane takes over the landscape.

Risser's Beach

Whether you want to swim, search for sea shells, or just spend the
day relaxing in the sun, Rissers Beach Provincial Park offers every kind
of recreational opportunity available at the seaside.
Some of the features of the park include a kilometre long white sand
beach and Interpretation Centre and boardwalk along an inland marsh.

The LaHave Islands

Other information about the scenery and the history of the LaHave Islands and area can be found at Lunenburg Region, Nova Scotia.
The area is closely connected to the sea, to the Bluenose which is
found on the Canadian Dime and the prohibition era rum running.

The
land, the history and the people provide a rich background for the
Caleb Cove Mysteries. (Even if the actual community and all
the folks in it are figments of my imagination.) Writing the stories is
so much easier with so many potential details available in the real
world.

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Hiking on the south shore of Nova Scotia

Once upon a time travel was the best way and sometimes the only way to
research a story site. Writers these days have wonderful information
available on the internet. And although visiting an area is still a
preferred research method, my thanks goes out to the folks who take the
pictures and write the text and make virtual visiting available.

One of the best sites for my setting is the Hiking the LaHave Islands by John Hutton. Viewing the photos, following the map and reading the text pulled me back to the area. I could smell the ocean, feel the breezes and hear the gulls.

Typical house - Note Lunenburg "bump"

This house, which Hutton tells
us in a typical home in the area, sports a Lunenburg Bump, the uniquely
shaped dormer on its front. This could easily be Uncle Lem's house in my
Caleb Cover mystery series.

Bush Island Bridge

In the first book, a hurricane washes out the bridge trapping the
characters with a murderer on my fictional island. In book two, the
official opening of the new bridge plays a role.

In reality, there are several bridges connecting the La Have Islands.
this one is the Bush Island bridge. It is similar to the one washed away
in Sheldon Harris Came Home Dead.

For a unique experience try John Hutton's virtual Hike - better still
plan your next walking vacation and visit the La Have Islands in person.